A new bill setting a minimum solar feed-in tariff (FiT) for householders and businesses has been introduced to the NSW Parliament.
The Greens’ Renewable Energy spokesperson Tamara Smith says the ‘Electricity Supply Amendment (Fair Price for Solar and Other Renewable Sources of Electricity) Bill’ will reward small-scale solar generators and prevent price hikes.
According to Smith, the Member for Ballina, the region around Lismore and Tweed Heads South leads the country in solar energy uptake. Around a third of residents generate their own solar power against the NSW average of 18 per cent.
Smith is responding to this month’s proposal by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) to reduce the NSW all-day solar FiT from 12.8 cents to 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour.
This is due to expected falls in the average wholesale cost of energy, claims IPART chair Dr Peter Boxall.
While electricity retailers in NSW set their own feed-in tariffs, they rely on IPART benchmarking for the likely value of electricity exported to the grid from solar panels.
‘Heavy lifting’ homes need minimum solar feed-in tariff
Because ‘heavy lifting’ households and businesses generate solar power to support the grid, they should be rewarded with higher FiTs, Smith says.
According to Smith, a fair minimum solar FiT should also reflect multiple health, social and network savings in its final figure. These include:
- Less fossil fuel pollution from zero emissions solar energy
- Improved respiratory and general health
- Lower carbon costs
- Reduced spending on energy infrastructure
- Network investment savings
- Reduced distribution and transmission losses
- Lower overall fees and charges.
As Smith says, people have invested in solar panel installations and energy storage batteries like Tesla Powerwall in good faith. IPART should therefore consider the full range of savings offered when calculating minimum solar FiT.
Renters save with renewable community based retailers
Because community based electricity retailers offer new opportunities, Australian renters don’t need to miss out on solar energy savings.
Enova Energy has introduced the concept of the solar garden to the NSW north coast, according to Smith. Therefore renters can have a solar panel or two on a nearby rooftop and subsequently enjoy lower power bills.
This will promote small-scale solar generation and encourage investment in renewable energy.
Smith says Australia should also continue to promote emerging technologies like battery storage, smart grids and demand management.
